Upgrading golf clubs - when and what?!
Discussion
Hi all,
Long story short, I bought a half set of cheap no-name clubs from Argos 12+ years ago, played a few rounds and then put them away for over a decade. Last year, golf courses were one of the first things to open, so me and a mate dusted our clubs off and ended up getting quite into it! A year (and a few lessons) later, and I'm starting to find my half set a little limiting, mostly in the irons. I only have 4/6/8 irons, and have recently found situations where a 7 or a 9 iron etc. might be useful. For reference, I also have a 3 wood, pitching wedge and putter from the original half set, and I added a driver, 5 wood and sand wedge around the time I bought the clubs originally (all a variety of budget brands - Wilson/Hippo/RAM etc.).
I always figured I probably wouldn't ever be serious enough about it to need any more/better clubs, and even now I'm thinking I don't know if I'm good enough to justify spending any money. So, how do I know if it would benefit me, and if I do decide to treat myself, how should I go about it? The woods I have I'm OK with for now as I don't use them as much as the irons, so I'm thinking of upgrading my bag in stages starting with the irons. I don't think I'm consistent enough for a full fitting session to yield any decent results, and it's certainly a big financial outlay vs my original clubs, but is buying 'off the shelf' stuff a bit of a waste of money?
Thanks a lot!
Long story short, I bought a half set of cheap no-name clubs from Argos 12+ years ago, played a few rounds and then put them away for over a decade. Last year, golf courses were one of the first things to open, so me and a mate dusted our clubs off and ended up getting quite into it! A year (and a few lessons) later, and I'm starting to find my half set a little limiting, mostly in the irons. I only have 4/6/8 irons, and have recently found situations where a 7 or a 9 iron etc. might be useful. For reference, I also have a 3 wood, pitching wedge and putter from the original half set, and I added a driver, 5 wood and sand wedge around the time I bought the clubs originally (all a variety of budget brands - Wilson/Hippo/RAM etc.).
I always figured I probably wouldn't ever be serious enough about it to need any more/better clubs, and even now I'm thinking I don't know if I'm good enough to justify spending any money. So, how do I know if it would benefit me, and if I do decide to treat myself, how should I go about it? The woods I have I'm OK with for now as I don't use them as much as the irons, so I'm thinking of upgrading my bag in stages starting with the irons. I don't think I'm consistent enough for a full fitting session to yield any decent results, and it's certainly a big financial outlay vs my original clubs, but is buying 'off the shelf' stuff a bit of a waste of money?
Thanks a lot!
My advice would be to get on eBay and spend £150 - £200 on a set of 'game improvement' cavity-back irons from a proper brand.
Specifically, I'd recommend a set of Pings, from the G-range, or a set of Mizunos, from their JPX range.
But more important than which specific clubhead you go for is to make sure you get a shaft that is a good match for your swing speed. Ask a pro or a few good golfers for their recommendations on that.
Even if you don't get on with them, you'll get 90% of your money back if you decide to move them on again. Might even turn an accidental profit.
Specifically, I'd recommend a set of Pings, from the G-range, or a set of Mizunos, from their JPX range.
But more important than which specific clubhead you go for is to make sure you get a shaft that is a good match for your swing speed. Ask a pro or a few good golfers for their recommendations on that.
Even if you don't get on with them, you'll get 90% of your money back if you decide to move them on again. Might even turn an accidental profit.
Burny16v said:
Hi all,
Long story short, I bought a half set of cheap no-name clubs from Argos 12+ years ago, played a few rounds and then put them away for over a decade. Last year, golf courses were one of the first things to open, so me and a mate dusted our clubs off and ended up getting quite into it! A year (and a few lessons) later, and I'm starting to find my half set a little limiting, mostly in the irons. I only have 4/6/8 irons, and have recently found situations where a 7 or a 9 iron etc. might be useful. For reference, I also have a 3 wood, pitching wedge and putter from the original half set, and I added a driver, 5 wood and sand wedge around the time I bought the clubs originally (all a variety of budget brands - Wilson/Hippo/RAM etc.).
I always figured I probably wouldn't ever be serious enough about it to need any more/better clubs, and even now I'm thinking I don't know if I'm good enough to justify spending any money. So, how do I know if it would benefit me, and if I do decide to treat myself, how should I go about it? The woods I have I'm OK with for now as I don't use them as much as the irons, so I'm thinking of upgrading my bag in stages starting with the irons. I don't think I'm consistent enough for a full fitting session to yield any decent results, and it's certainly a big financial outlay vs my original clubs, but is buying 'off the shelf' stuff a bit of a waste of money?
Thanks a lot!
Ebay is your best bet, or FB marketplace. Also you could try golf bidder, your pay more but good selection and provides you details on the condition etc. Long story short, I bought a half set of cheap no-name clubs from Argos 12+ years ago, played a few rounds and then put them away for over a decade. Last year, golf courses were one of the first things to open, so me and a mate dusted our clubs off and ended up getting quite into it! A year (and a few lessons) later, and I'm starting to find my half set a little limiting, mostly in the irons. I only have 4/6/8 irons, and have recently found situations where a 7 or a 9 iron etc. might be useful. For reference, I also have a 3 wood, pitching wedge and putter from the original half set, and I added a driver, 5 wood and sand wedge around the time I bought the clubs originally (all a variety of budget brands - Wilson/Hippo/RAM etc.).
I always figured I probably wouldn't ever be serious enough about it to need any more/better clubs, and even now I'm thinking I don't know if I'm good enough to justify spending any money. So, how do I know if it would benefit me, and if I do decide to treat myself, how should I go about it? The woods I have I'm OK with for now as I don't use them as much as the irons, so I'm thinking of upgrading my bag in stages starting with the irons. I don't think I'm consistent enough for a full fitting session to yield any decent results, and it's certainly a big financial outlay vs my original clubs, but is buying 'off the shelf' stuff a bit of a waste of money?
Thanks a lot!
Anything game improvement is what you need. If you see something you like then just google the name and will be tons of reviews to give you an idea if they will suit you. I wouldn't worry about shaft, just something in good nick, good grips and game improvement. If you can always upgrade again at a later date if your enjoying it.
As others have mentioned Ping, Mizuno irons are always good, and will be easy to sell again if needed.
Just note that club prices have increased as more people taking up the game, and new clubs have huge waiting times for delivery.
As above, a used set of something half decent will see you through. Whilst there’s currently an increase in demand there’s still plenty with a set stuck in the shed.
My local driving range has a club shop and they’ll demo clubs for possible sales. It could also be worth a couple of sessions with the club pro to get a feel for where you can improve and how different clubs may suit you.
I’ve been a long time out of the game, but starting to get back into it. I have a set of Wilson Deep Reds with graphite shafts, they’re not the latest and greatest but are decent enough for my level!
My local driving range has a club shop and they’ll demo clubs for possible sales. It could also be worth a couple of sessions with the club pro to get a feel for where you can improve and how different clubs may suit you.
I’ve been a long time out of the game, but starting to get back into it. I have a set of Wilson Deep Reds with graphite shafts, they’re not the latest and greatest but are decent enough for my level!
Sorry to hijack the thread. I last played some 15 years ago but gave up after developing Rheumatoid Arthritis. I got my game down to an actual 28 handicap, as in I was hitting 100 shots but no cert or anything.
I'm itching to get back in the game but have moved area. Friends who say they will play a round are always busy and I feel I'm losing time and the summer.
Do golf clubs have a way of matching up one-balls to othersaddo's one-balls? I know a lot of them don't let people play by themselves.
I'm itching to get back in the game but have moved area. Friends who say they will play a round are always busy and I feel I'm losing time and the summer.
Do golf clubs have a way of matching up one-balls to other
I have bought quite a few clubs from Golfbidder in the past.
https://www.golfbidder.co.uk/SearchResults.aspx?Se...
https://www.golfbidder.co.uk/SearchResults.aspx?Se...
Thanks all, I've absolutely no idea why I didn't think of going for used stuff, probably because I figured there was a huge variety of clubs out there and I wasn't really sure what I should be looking for! Great to get a few pointers on what might be a good fit though in terms of looking up 'game improvement', thanks SpeckledJim and Challo for that. Also thanks both for recomendations of make/models.
It does seem that golf has seen a surge in people taking up the game after lockdown (like I have really!), so equipment prices probably a little raised like you say, but I'm hoping I might start catching a wave of people getting bored and selling up. I'll keep an eye on what's about and hopefully snag a bargain, or at least something a little more affordable than some of the new stuff!
It does seem that golf has seen a surge in people taking up the game after lockdown (like I have really!), so equipment prices probably a little raised like you say, but I'm hoping I might start catching a wave of people getting bored and selling up. I'll keep an eye on what's about and hopefully snag a bargain, or at least something a little more affordable than some of the new stuff!
Fastchas said:
Sorry to hijack the thread. I last played some 15 years ago but gave up after developing Rheumatoid Arthritis. I got my game down to an actual 28 handicap, as in I was hitting 100 shots but no cert or anything.
I'm itching to get back in the game but have moved area. Friends who say they will play a round are always busy and I feel I'm losing time and the summer.
Do golf clubs have a way of matching up one-balls to othersaddo's one-balls? I know a lot of them don't let people play by themselves.
No worries at all for the hijack, I think a lot of new/returning players may struggle with this. Fortunately I've got a couple of mates and my Dad who play, but I'm surprised to hear a lot of places don't let singles play - at the public courses around me, I notice lots playing on their own. You could look at joining a club, I'm sure they can help with getting to know others looking for a playing partner. Doesn't even have to be a fancy club, my local public course offer a well priced memebrship scheme that includes group activities and socials that help you get to know other golfers.They also do group golf lessons, so if anywhere local to you does that it'd be a great way of finding people around your level to play with, I did exactly this with tennis a few years ago.I'm itching to get back in the game but have moved area. Friends who say they will play a round are always busy and I feel I'm losing time and the summer.
Do golf clubs have a way of matching up one-balls to other
I have always bought secondhand golf clubs, had Mixuno MX17 then JPX825 and now play Cobra F8 One Length.
Plenty of options out there, and to be honest iron tech hasn’t changed much in the last 10 years so plenty of options to choose from. This guy on YouTube is good, buys and sells secondhand golf clubs and often gives advise on what to go for.
https://youtube.com/c/SASGolf
Plenty of options out there, and to be honest iron tech hasn’t changed much in the last 10 years so plenty of options to choose from. This guy on YouTube is good, buys and sells secondhand golf clubs and often gives advise on what to go for.
https://youtube.com/c/SASGolf
bristolbaron said:
As above, a used set of something half decent will see you through. Whilst there’s currently an increase in demand there’s still plenty with a set stuck in the shed.
My local driving range has a club shop and they’ll demo clubs for possible sales. It could also be worth a couple of sessions with the club pro to get a feel for where you can improve and how different clubs may suit you.
I’ve been a long time out of the game, but starting to get back into it. I have a set of Wilson Deep Reds with graphite shafts, they’re not the latest and greatest but are decent enough for my level!
To add to this - I went to my local range yesterday and the club shop has a selection of used clubs for sale, ranging from £110 for older Calloway up to £500 for nearly new Ping stuff. It’d be worth seeing what’s available where you are.My local driving range has a club shop and they’ll demo clubs for possible sales. It could also be worth a couple of sessions with the club pro to get a feel for where you can improve and how different clubs may suit you.
I’ve been a long time out of the game, but starting to get back into it. I have a set of Wilson Deep Reds with graphite shafts, they’re not the latest and greatest but are decent enough for my level!
I followed PH's general recommendation of Ping G5/10/15/20 (whichever comes up cheapest).
Ping's dot fitting system is pretty handy, Its obviously no custom fitting but getting irons with at least roughly the correct lie angle and length makes sense. Just double check you use the right one as they updated it in 2017 I believe and any clubs before that use a different chart.
I managed to pick up a set of G10 yellow dot 5-pw for about £140, Ebay or facebook marketplace seem the best place to look, Golfbidder always seems really expensive in comparison.
Ping's dot fitting system is pretty handy, Its obviously no custom fitting but getting irons with at least roughly the correct lie angle and length makes sense. Just double check you use the right one as they updated it in 2017 I believe and any clubs before that use a different chart.
I managed to pick up a set of G10 yellow dot 5-pw for about £140, Ebay or facebook marketplace seem the best place to look, Golfbidder always seems really expensive in comparison.
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